TWO men who carried out a chemist shop robbery in which a woman was grabbed by the throat, have each been jailed for four years.

Members of staff were ordered to place drugs in a box when the pair struck at Cohens chemist on Lancaster Road, Morecambe.

The judge passing sentence on them at Preston Crown Court said the victim must have been utterly terrified by the experience.

Such premises where controlled drugs were held were particularly vulnerable to robbery.

James O'Neill, 34, of Twemlow Parade, Heysham and 47 year old Steven Eckersley of Euston Road, Morecambe, had both admitted robbery.

Mr David Pickup, prosecuting, said a woman named Diane Barber was grabbed by the throat and choked as other staff in the shop were told to put drugs in a box. The crime occurred on April 5. O'Neill grabbed her throat and squeezed it tight. Eckersley was the one who gave the order about the drugs.

The woman was held around the throat for two to three minutes before O'Neill let go. She later broke down to police, crying and shaking. A man who spotted the robbers leaving the premises followed for a time in his car and alerted police.

Mr Andrew O'Byrne, for Eckersley, said he had been deeply horrified at the violence in the shop. It had not been carried out by him.

Mr Nick Courtney, for O'Neill, said the crime had arisen on the spur of the moment. By his plea he had saved the woman having to attend court and relive her ordeal.